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Seventh Day Adventists

Gal 1:6-9 “6I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: 7Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. 8But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. 9As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.”

There’s so much to write about the SDA church, it’s hard to know where to start or how to condense it. It really wasn’t until I went farther into this study (off and on for two years) that I realized how much deception was involved in luring people into this belief. The main focus is that this movement changed the grace and teachings of God and made learning the truth about Christ difficult for sincere followers which, in effect, created another Jesus and another gospel. This is another group that sprang up in the 1800s, had a lead prophet/prophetess that claimed divine inspiration from God and stated that they were the only true church of God. They also claim information was hidden until their time (almost 1800 years after Jesus established His church) and that God revealed them to their prophet only for those members. Anyone outside their organization is damned.

Ellen G. White is respected and revered by Adventists. Her writings have been placed on the level of Divine inspiration as the Holy Bible. Scripture is written by inspiration of God, so if her writings are inspired by God, they actually believe her writings are Biblical or equal to the Bible. As nicely as I can put this, Ellen G. White was a racist, plagiarizing false prophetess that claimed she could transport to other planets & Heaven, her writings were inspired by demons, she consulted with the dead, helped create damnable heresies, took from Jesus’s death on the cross and added works righteousness to assist unsuspecting followers race a path to hell. [“How many that are here present today shall I meet around the great white throne?” – EGW Signs of the Times September 15, 1887. quote The Great White Throne judgment is where the unsaved will be judged and cast into eternal fire! “11And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. 12And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 13And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. 14And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” – Rev 20:11-15]

Adventists are placing their eternal souls at stake following a woman that was hit in the head with a rock that knocked her unconscious for three weeks and was said to have never received more than a third grade education. Why did an entire generation follow this woman when the Bible clearly teaches a woman is not to usurp authority over a man and try to lead doctrinal teaching because she’s more easily deceived and has a greater chance of being led astray (1 Tim 2:11-15, 2 Tim 3:1-7)? It has been well documented with the organization that great lengths have been taken to cover deception in doctrine changes and practices.

Heb 1:1-4 “1God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 2Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; 3Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high: 4Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.” – Prophets were needed in times past before Jesus, but Jesus is the One Who tells what we need to know and paid the price for our sins by Himself – not any additional work we could do.

Fundamental Belief #18 – 18. The Gift of Prophecy:

One of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is prophecy. This gift is an identifying mark of the remnant church and was manifested in the ministry of Ellen. G. White . As the Lord’s messenger, her writings are a continuing and authoritative source of truth which provide for the church comfort, guidance, instruction, and correction. They also make clear that the Bible is the standard by which all teaching and experience must be tested. (Joel 2:28, 29; Acts 2:14-21; Heb. 1:1-3; Rev. 12:17; 19:10.) official beliefs

Romans 13:8-10 “8Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. 9For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 10Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.”

Plagiarism– EGW claimed her writings were inspired by God and of her own writing; however, investigations have shown that she stole/copied/plagiarized up to 90% of her literature. If God is the One doing the inspiring, He won’t have to borrow from secular sources to get a message out. Can a “prophetess of God” be trusted if she is known to be a thief and a liar? – plagiarized works

Jer 23:30-32 “30Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that steal my words every one from his neighbour. 31Behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that use their tongues, and say, He saith. 32Behold, I am against them that prophesy false dreams, saith the LORD, and do tell them, and cause my people to err by their lies, and by their lightness; yet I sent them not, nor commanded them: therefore they shall not profit this people at all, saith the LORD.”

False Prophetess – Ellen G. White has been placed in the same category as prophets of old. Ellen G. White Let’s see what the Bible has to say about prophets.

– Deut 18:20-22 “20But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die. 21And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the LORD hath not spoken? 22When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.” – A prophet that claims to speak for God has to be 100% accurate! Prophets told who, what, when, where, why and how while admonishing God’s people to repent and turn to Him.
– Matt 24:24-27 “24For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. 25Behold, I have told you before. 26Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. 27For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.”

God gave His Word by the prophets and inspired men of God until we had a complete Bible. Jesus had already established His church. Why would He need to wait 1800 years to add to work He already finished? That would ill-equip His apostles so they couldn’t found the early churches properly.

Some false prophecies – She supported and informed people that Jesus would return in 1843 and 1844 as William Miller predicted. When those predictions failed, the Investigative Judgment heresy was invented. She also blamed her failed prophecy on Adventists.

– She stated the Civil War would preserve slavery.
– She said the people in 1856 would see the 2nd coming of Jesus.
– She stated the U.S. would be “humbled into the dust” by England during the Civil War.

I’ve read the websites trying to explain that EGW’s prophecies didn’t fail, how her group was different from other Millerites or that she was still human and growing in understanding. What’s the problem with that? Jeremiah was young. God’s prophets spoke with complete clarity so there would be NO misunderstanding about what was going to take place. God does not send vague prophets to hint at what “might” happen if certain unspecified things take place. If she wasn’t sure about everything, she should never have opened her mouth about anything.

Rev 22:18-19 “18For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: 19And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.”

Clear Word Bible

SDAs state the Bible is the inspired Word of God. The Adventists do not interpret the Bible using itself but by the explanations and teachings of Ellen G. White. Scripture does not contradict itself, and God does not change. In order for EGW’s “inspired” words and teachings to be accepted, the Bible itself had to be altered to support her beliefs. That is why the Clear Word Bible (SDA’s dropped the title of “bible” after much controversy arose, but I remember seeing this “bible”) was written and is read only in the SDA church.

The Clear Word Bible – The revised verses were altered to fit their doctrine and changed the meanings. This makes it difficult for those who strive to learn more about God to fully understand His plan and true salvation because their foundation is already damaged. – clear word

– How do they know this serpent had wings, was beautiful or startled Eve? What history book on earth has this recorded? God told Adam to sacrifice the lamb? All people were twice as large as today or were there giants among the people?
– While people state this is a “paraphrase” and not meant to be a translation, I find it difficult to believe that so much effort would go into changing the words and meanings inside the Bible but no one noticed the giant words on the outside that said “bible” or realized people would see it as a real Bible. What’s worse is that it falls below the quality of the message bible which is new age garbage.

KJB – “Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.”

CWB – “In contrast to these ungodly men is the Lord Jesus Christ, also called Michael, the archangel in charge of the entire angelic host. When He was challenged by Satan about His intentions to resurrect Moses, He didn’t come against Satan with a blistering attack nor did he belittle him. He simply said, ‘God rejects your claim to his body.'”

SDAs Teach Another Jesus

– Jesus has been identified as part of the Trinity and also Michael the Archangel.
– He stops being our Intercessor which requires us to become sinless.
– He is no longer the sin bearer but satan is the one bearing sins

Michael, like Gabriel & Lucifer, is an archangel and a created being! Jesus cannot be both God from everlasting to everlasting while simultaneously being a creation of His own.

Salvation

Salvation is believed to be conditional – Jesus’s blood and atonement on the cross is not enough for SDAs. They have added works of keeping the 10 commandments, particularly the Sabbath. Salvation starts with Jesus but is finished by man.

– No Adventist can ever claim to be saved because they must finish the course to find out if they made it.
– one must follow the rules of SDAs to be saved.
– baptism is a requirement for salvation – “Through baptism we are truly born again in Jesus.” – second paragraph from the bottom beliefs- satan is taught to be the one bearing our sins instead of Jesus “ 28So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.” – Heb 9:28

Investigative Judgment – William Miller admitted he was wrong to try to predict Christ’s return in October 1844, but Ellen G. White refused to admit she was wrong. Instead, she claimed 1844 began the Investigative Judgment of Christ to determine who is worthy of His atonement and blotting out of sins. Everyone claiming the name of Christ go under scrutiny of the books. By 1884, it had been happening for 40 years and would soon come to a close. EGW claims Jesus went into the Holy of Holies (the reason no one saw Him return in 1844…He invisibly began judging the world). They claim 1844 was calculated from the Bible prophecies of Daniel. The biggest problem with this is that the Bible never mentions this event. It is completely made up by SDAs and added to the Clear Word Bible so followers will believe it. No other Bible (even the antichrist ones) mention this. (Yes, I was given a copy of The Great Controversy.)

– this is the teaching that those who are dead are basically unconscious and unaware of anything going on around them. They are not destroyed but are not existing in Heaven or hell. The Bible does not indicate that upon death, our souls wait until God decides to send us to Heaven or hell.

– Adventists teach those following their outlines and the 10 commandments are the ones in this group. The Bible states these are Jewish male virgins and lists them by tribe – 12,000 per each of the 12 tribes. 12,000 x 12 = 144,000. The visitor center page of the official website states there are more than 20 million Adventists! Which ones are part of the 144,000? They state this is a symbolic number and that the 12 tribes represent “spiritual Israel,” but they acknowledge the names of the 12 apostles written on the twelve foundations are literal names of the apostles (Rev 7:3-8, Rev 21:12-14). I find it extremely odd that the number of seals is taken literally, the number of churches is taken literally, the number of angels & elders is taken literally, the foundations & walls & gates are taken literally, number of days the 2 (literal) witnesses speak is literal, but the 144,000 is to be interpreted as a spiritual number.

– Adventists teach the wicked dead will be raised from the dead, judged and eventually consumed by fire. – #27 beliefs

This link discusses hell and the lake of fire as the Bible presents them. – hell exists

Sabbath Observance

EGW stressed keeping the Sabbath was most important and was the mark of the true remnant church of Christ. She claims that those that do not observe the Sabbath do not recognize God as Creator and having authority. Instructions from how to dress to how hospital medical procedures should be administered are specified. I never understood why people wouldn’t attend weddings on a Sabbath, but they discourage people marrying on Sabbaths. official instructions The Clear Word Bible was tailored and written to push Sabbath observance back from laws given to Moses to the beginning of creation. The Holy Spirit is the One that seals Christians – not Sabbath keeping (Eph 4:30, Eph 1:13)!

– Ellen White on Tithe (she was against using it for the poor) – link- She taught not paying tithe will cost you your Heavenly inheritance – teaching- Are Christians Commanded to Tithe? – Christians & tithing

There are also guidelines in place for clothing & jewelry, dietary guidelines, how to deal with non-sda members, family worship, and school instruction. These “Divine” guidelines have been changed numerous times over the years. Adventists are encouraged to stay within themselves and are given specific topics to study on specific days in conjunction with the teachings of Ellen G. White so everyone believes the exact same thing.

Acts 15:23-29 “23And they wrote letters by them after this manner; The apostles and elders and brethren send greeting unto the brethren which are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia. 24Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment: 25It seemed good unto us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men unto you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, 26Men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27We have sent therefore Judas and Silas, who shall also tell you the same things by mouth. 28For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things; 29That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well.”

Col 2:16 “16Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:” (these are ALL sabbaths – not just seasonal sabbaths)

Again, this is not to strike at those trying to be faithful Christians. Many of my family members are part of this organization. They are sincere about their beliefs; however, being sincere does not equate with being Biblically correct. The teachings of SDAs are far removed from Biblical and historical Christianity. God’s Word has been changed, corrupted and twisted to purposely teach a different gospel. A gospel that doesn’t teach the true Jesus and true Word of God is no gospel at all.

Adventism at a Glance – former adventistWhat SDAs won’t tell you – linkTestimony of former adventist

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Comments

Seventh Day Adventists — 2 Comments

Some very true things said by you,but also some misleading about truth. I will not debate over Ellen White because I have_reached the same conclusions. My issue is how one can ignore biblical truth. Love is the main component. I am not saved by works but on the same token Christ says if we love him we will do his will. I keep the commandments out of love not out of fear of my end. Sadly many an Adventist cannot wrap their minds around this major component called Love. Doing things right really cannot be done without a sincere love for God and our fellow man. Love requires seeking beyond ourselves. This also cannot be done without Christ inside us. With Christ inside we then seek the Fathers will. Sorry to say most if not all men in this day and age want to do what is right in their own eyes. Christ referred to this in the parable of the good son.

If we love God truly his love will change us. His law will be in our hearts and minds. People say the commandments died on the cross, but they didn’t. When asked about each one every Christian on this planet will say we have to keep nine of them. Like the parable they only love God to the point they agree with him. They have not surrendered to the leading of God they are in danger of giving it all away.

The Sabbath is a bone of contention in this world because it stands as a sign that God is supreme, not man. Does keeping the Sabbath save me? No, but refusing to acknowledge my creator has a significant impact on me as to how much of the plan of salvation I agree with. If I restrict my Saviour in changing me then I am rejecting the Holy Spirit for which there is no other thing that Christ can offer to save me.

The Sunday Law is a reality. Its gaining wide acceptance in Europe, you need to do more research. God doesn’t force you to keep His day, but man leadf by the Devil will force you to keep his. One world religion is very much a reality and the world council of churches is backing it.

Without Love of Christ you cannot keep any of the commandments. Love is the Key. It was the key in the Old Testament as well. Moses told the people to Love God with every thing they had.

As far as tithing, that’s also about love. Most people who don’t give money away are selfish. Don’t give it to the church, give it to the poor, food kitchens etc. Holding onto all of it will reduce the blessings God wants to give you. In my experience people who did not give money away often suffered mentally because of their love for it or worse ended up with financial problems. Even the Government tells people to be charitable.

Lastly , the best Adventist is the one that goes solely by God’s word….all of it. Ellen White isn’t my Saviour. Many times I have seen people quote her and then I ask them why they didn’t quite the Bible…..its because they think the truth is in her that they have an upper hand. When I show them what they just stated is in scripture ,they swell up and use that to justify Ellen. Its really a sad state that people worship her in such a way/

I appreciate you taking time to respond. I was hoping to find the writing we put together last year, but it’s on one of the computers that crashed earlier this year. Since we don’t have that one, I’ll try to do a condensed response here regarding sabbath. If you’d like to tithe, by all means, do so. I don’t have a problem with anyone setting aside an amount for God regularly. My issue is when pieces of Scripture are ripped out to say something entirely different. Somehow, that post wasn’t included in the topic index, so hopefully, it will be updated shortly. http://byhisspirit.info/are-christians-required-to-tithe/ However, it is linked within the blog to help explain how tithing was to be done. The tithing section was added as a point of what was taught – not as a way of telling people not to give to their place of assembly or those who have assisted them.

People have been taught that Moses’s Law doesn’t include the Ten Commandments and have viewed it as God’s Law vs. Moses’s Law because of their placement beside and in the ark or due to having one set carved in stone. They look at them as the most important commandments, yet all of God’s laws, principles, and teachings hung on two commandments that Jesus stated are the “greatest.” Matt 22:36-40 Love God with all that is within you and to love your neighbor as yourself. Yes, these two summarize the Decalogue, but the Decalogue is an expansion of these two just as the rest of the Law of Moses is an expansion of these two. These are also found in Deut 6 after the people are instructed to obey all of God’s (not Moses’s idea) commandments, statutes, judgments.

“16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: 17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.” – Col 2:16-17

Many try to say these verses teach that the sabbaths here do not mean the weekly sabbath. The problem is that all sabbaths are included because all are “foreshadowing” Christ, Who is our sabbath. Holydays are yearly sabbaths, new moons are monthly sabbaths, and sabbaths listed last are the weekly sabbaths. You find this ascending/descending pattern of sabbaths listed in several places such as 1 Chron 23:31, 2 Chron 8:13, Eze 45:17. When Paul wrote this epistle, he was following a pattern already set by writers before him that would understand he meant every sabbath.

“4 Behold, I build an house to the name of the LORD my God, to dedicate it to him, and to burn before him sweet incense, and for the continual shewbread, and for the burnt offerings morning and evening, on the SABBATHS, and on the NEW MOONS, and on the SOLEMN FEASTS of the LORD our God. This is an ordinance for ever to Israel.” – 2 Chron 2:4
**Notice that it says it is an ordinance forever to Israel & not “God’s people” or “spiritual Israel.”

As far as the idea that the Ten Commandments are not part of the Law of Moses neither the Bible nor Jesus, God Himself, support that teaching.

Exo 24:14 and Neh 9:13 show us God gave Moses the 10 commandments and the law at the same time. Everything Moses taught was part of the Law of Moses. Mark 7:10a references honoring parents. The command came from God, but Jesus stated that Moses said to do it. John 8 references adultery and Moses’s commands about it. In John 7:19-23, Jesus states Moses gave the people the Law, but they’re upset about Him healing a man on sabbath when they would circumcise someone on sabbath.

“13 Even after a certain rate every day, offering according to the commandment of Moses, on the sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the solemn feasts, three times in the year, even in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles.” – 2 Chron 8:13

The Bible states the sabbaths are for a sign between Israel and God and that the commandment regarding the sabbath came from Moses. Note also the pattern that lists sabbaths, new moons, and solemn feasts (holydays). Now, I don’t have an issue with people who desire to worship or gather on Saturdays. My issue is when it’s taught that it is required when the Bible doesn’t state that after Christ’s resurrection sabbath observance is commanded. It is completely omitted. Acts 15 would state its requirement for Gentiles as would the letters to the Gentiles (such as Colossians) since sabbath observance was a foreign practice to us. We cannot read sabbath observance into the Bible where there isn’t any. Additionally, if it is taught as a perpetual command (as a sign of the old covenant between God & Israel) based on the fact that it was carved in stone, then it means that sabbath breaking (as well as any other of the 10 carved in stone) must be punished in the same manner. Since God doesn’t change, His expectations don’t change. Rules for observance can be found on the internet, but they include not driving anywhere, not getting on the internet, not doing any work such as heating up your food. Should you break any, you are to be ready to die by stoning. The 10 commandments are part of the Law of Moses; however, if any aren’t, then you are obligated to obey all the Law and not offend in any one part and be prepared to die at the first inability to maintain them…which is the reason Jesus came. The law shows us our sin, and Jesus fulfilled the law because we can’t. Everything we are required to do from the OT was reiterated and taught in the NT. Those not taught/commanded by Christ helped us to understand our sin, our need for salvation, were foreshadows of what was to come, or were specific to Israel.

Worship for God is to be ongoing. Gathering together is expected and can be done regularly. The idea that Sunday law somehow will cause problems for Believers is rooted in the idea of “sun” worship or the name of the day. All of our days and months have pagan names. “Thor’s” day is Thursday. “Saturn” is in “Saturday.” While a one world religion is prophesied and has been gaining popularity for a number of years, the Bible commands us to be watchful of “who” we worship – not what day is set. If you pray first thing in the morning, does that mean you worship the sun because you prayed at sunrise? If you’re on your knees and face in prayer in your room but happen to be facing east, does that mean you’re aiming your prayers toward Mecca? If you are fasting and praying, does that mean someone should assume you’re of a different belief because you’re not eating a cow that someone else considers holy? If you’re at lunch, and five people bow their heads to pray at the same time you do, does it mean you’re praying to the same Person? No, none of those determine your place with God nor define your relationship with Him even if people happen to do the same thing at the same time. Salvation is an individual issue, and your motives behind your actions determine whether you are walking in truth or merely expressing a form of godliness.